My Favorite Airbnb: A Chic Beach House in Northern Peru With an Ocean-View Pool and Room for 10

The temperature was somewhere in the dry 80s when I arrived at Kahu Beach House in December-the sun-soaked home, with an unobstructed view of the glittering Pacific, was a refuge from the below-freezing temperatures I'd fled in New York City. I know I'm not the first person to take advantage of the Southern Hemisphere's opposing seasons for a mid-winter escape. But gathering a handful of family and friends into one gorgeous beach pad, in a quiet Peruvian surf town with approximately zero other Americans? I couldn't help but feel like I was in on a fabulous secret from the moment I arrived. Kahu Beach House , bookable on Airbnb, sits in a community of Los Órganos, less than an hour's drive from the Talara airport in northern Peru. This entire northern section of the country's coastline is known for being always sunny (unlike sometimes foggy Lima) and it is quite literally where surfing was invented some 3,500 years ago . Today, Peru's northern coast remains a top-tier surf destination. Chicama, further south, is the longest left in the entire world-surfers will know what that means-and Los Órganos in particular is a slow-moving town, and beloved hideaway by Limeños seeking a slower pace (it's just a one-hour flight from the capital city , and yet an entire world away). We booked a stay for three nights, and decided to get with the program: surf, sun, seafood, repeat. Arriving at Kahu requires a little bit of faith. The drive from Talara airport to the home is scenic, in that sun-baked, desert-meets-the-sea way that Peru does so well. Within the last few minutes of the drive, it's a bumpy ride up a dirt road that may leave you wondering how a chic house can await at the end of it. Going up is a good sign, and I was reminded of why when we walked through the front doors and were smacked in the face with the ocean views that height allows. Like the other surrounding homes, the adobe-colored walls and thatched roof details of Kahu blend in perfectly with the natural landscape of Los Órganos. But the design is impeccable, and a notch above the others-delicately dancing between modern and just bohemian enough to signal to my brain “you're on vacation” without overdoing it. I reveled in watching my sister-in-law Brenda react in awe at the view; my husband Henry, who typically would be just as happy camping on the beach , raised his eyebrows appreciatively and began taking photos of the plunge pool, with its ocean views and surrounding terrace topped with lounge chairs and bean bags (there was even a telescope, which we later used to both stargaze and look down at surf conditions before walking to the beach in the mornings). Our friend Piero, who'd been tasked with the grocery list for our trip, began scoping out the barbecue and admiring the long dining table, enclosed by glass walls that could slide completely open for an indoor-outdoor kitchen and...

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